Frozen Heart
by bethanyyerinn
Summary: We all know the story of Frozen from Anna's point of view, but what about Hans? Basically, this is just the whole movie, and a little bit before, from his point of view. Obviously there are spoilers, so don't read unless you watched it.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or any of its characters, but I did invent the twelve brothers of the Southern Isles. **

**Basically, this is my head-canon of how Hans ended up the way he did. Cuz I hate him, like everyone else, but I think there's more to him than the movie suggests. So yes. Hope you like it!**

* * *

"Hanny, you're just too sensitive."

Hans heard it a lot. Depending on which brother said it, it ranged from simply patronizing to a legitimate insult. Aage was more likely to mean it in a supportive way. Bjarte would tease him relentlessly, but it was mostly light-hearted. Mogens said it as if it was the worst personality trait he could even imagine.

Though, it might be easier to follow the story if you meet all the brothers.

Then again, maybe it would just make things more confusing.

But whether or not you'll regret it, I'll introduce them all.

There are thirteen children in the royal family of the Southern Isles. Magnus was the oldest brother, and the one that was going to take the throne when father died. He was, at forty-one, an entire twenty years older than his youngest brother. He was the only brother that was in his forties. Because of this, he didn't relate to most of them. Lenny, Staffan, and Mogens were in the same group, being too old to relate to any of the younger siblings at thirty-eight, thirty-six, and thirty-five. They acted much more like uncles. Distant uncles that weren't any fun, for the most part. Staffan wasn't miserable to be around. Hans avoided Mogens as much as he could. Lenny wasn't mean, but he was in general boring and fairly grumpy.

Then there were Sigmund and Bjarte, who were both in their early thirties. They were more capable of having fun than the older ones, but usually kept to themselves unless Bjarte was teasing the younger brothers. Sigmund was the least talkative of the brothers, while Bjarte was probably the loudest, so Sigmund usually followed Bjarte around silently.

Then there was Lauritz, Lars, and Ragnar, the twenty-seven year old triplets. They kept to themselves even more than Bjarte and Sigmund. They spent almost all their time with countless nameless women and did who-knows-what with them. They barely spoke to the other brothers. They spent several years pretending their youngest brother didn't exist, even.

Are you cursing the amount of children the King and Queen had at this point? Don't worry, we're nearing the end of the list.

Peter was the only one that spends time with the oldest brothers, being a bit of an old-soul at twenty-five. He idolized Magnus, and followed him around in a similar way that Sigmund followed Bjarte. He also spent time with Staffan and Lenny sometimes, but even he didn't like Mogens.

Then there were the twins, both twenty-three, whose names were Aage and Jens. Where the three triplets were so similar in looks and personality that it was hard to tell them apart, Aage and Jens were different in every way it was possible to be different. Jens was short and Aage was tall, Jens was muscular and Aage was stringy, and Jens was haughty and Aage was the kindest of the brothers.

Then Hans was the very youngest at twenty-one.

It was pretty easy to see that Hans was the outcast of his brothers. Magnus, though never relating to his brothers, certainly related to his father, so was quite happy to spend most of his time with the king. Jens, though not the most pleasant person, had his twin brother Aage—the two of them, even for being opposites, has some sort of bond that caused them to spend most of their time together. Even Mogens, whom almost all of them couldn't stand, spent time with Staffan and Lenny. So as the other brothers broke off in twos and threes with each other, Hans ended up on his own most of his youth.

Why was it that his brothers didn't go out of their way to spend time with the baby of the family?

"Hanny, you're just too sensitive."

At different ages, he showed this in different ways. When he was young, he just cried a lot. He cried over many things, and when he started crying, it took him ages to stop. His brothers learned quickly that if they wanted any peace, they had to lock him in a closet with a sock in his mouth. Aage saved him from the closets when he knew Hans had gotten locked in one, but with such a large house, he couldn't know every time it happened.

And so Hans spent a lot of time in closets in his youth.

He got to know the phrase, "Real men don't cry," very well, because not only did he hear it from his father, but all of his brothers too.

It didn't hit him until Aage was the one to say it. Bjarte telling him jokingly to quit the waterworks, or Mogens glowering at him and saying that if he didn't stop that racket, he was going to _make_ him, never did much to stop his crying.

But when Hans was ten and Aage was twelve, Aage said to Hans, "If you want father and the others to like you, you've really got to try not to cry."

"Well when things hurt, or when someone's mean, I get upset," Hans said, not understanding how that didn't make sense to them. It was just simple logic to him.

"I know you do. And it's not really fair that they get angry with you for it… I mean, it's not like Mogens and Jens are _nice_ to you."

"Jens put all my shoes in the pond!"

"I know. But Hans… you have to grow up. You have to become a man, and men… they just don't cry."

That's when he understood that if he didn't grow out of his crying phase, he was never going to be respected in his home.

He never cried again after that.

But he showed his sensitivity other ways. When one of his brothers was mean to him, he'd hide himself away for days at a time, saying he wouldn't eat again until they apologized. He, of course, caved before any of his brothers.

"Not only are you a baby, but you can't even follow up on your threats!" Mogens accused. "How useless could you be?"

And then Hans would only get upset all over again.

He was sixteen when it occurred to him that he would be a better ruler than most of his brothers. The older ones, like Magnus and Lenny, understood governing a place from years and years of being taught. Staffan and Lauritz had the type of personality that took no nonsense. Mogens would certainly have fear on his side. But how many of them had the _compassion_ for it? Aage might have, but otherwise, his brothers were all generally cold.

Once at dinner, they were discussing, as they often did, what they would do in certain scenarios as king.

"This is an easy one," said Staffan. "It's the middle of winter. Peasants line up at the gates, wanting shelter. What do you do?"

"Am I supposed to _do_ something?" scoffed Mogens. "They have homes for a reason. They expect me to open my own?" He shook his head in disgust.

"They're your subjects," said Lenny. "You can't utterly ignore them at the gate."

"They can come in if they tell me a joke that makes me laugh," Bjarte suggested.

"You can't rule a country based on humor," replied Sigmund with an eye-roll.

"Says you."

"What would you do?" asked Peter to Magnus, eyes big.

Magnus, who had not looked like he would answer before, now seemed to be considering the question.

"Well…" he muttered. "Probably I would at least supply them blankets. But otherwise, they've survived here for years without my assistance. They will survive, that much is certain."

Half a dozen brothers nodded at that.

"That makes sense," said Lars.

Hans usually assumed he wasn't being asked when these scenarios came up, but this time he was too appalled with his brothers to stay silent. He knew they were never kind to him, but how could they be so callous to their own people?

"With all the things we have, you couldn't spare your own people more than a few blankets?" he accused.

Conversations stopped and (almost) everyone swiveled their heads towards Hans, who was seventeen now, but was still never really taken seriously. I say _almost_ everyone looked because the triplets had now been ignoring Hans' existence for eight months, so they just kept eating their food as if nothing had been said.

"What would _you_ do?" asked Jens with a scowl.

"Offer all the blankets and cloaks we have, open the gates so peasants can stay in the castle, have the cooks make something hot for them to eat," he rattled off. He thought often of how he would rule if ever he got a kingdom of his own.

They all gaped at him with varying looks of incredulity.

"Not everyone's as soft-skinned as you. You don't have to _coddle_ them." Hans didn't keep track of who said it. At this point, all his brothers were the same. All closer to the throne and farthest from deserving it.

"No, they don't need to be coddled, but it's our job to give them what they need."

"They don't need all that!"

"They're freezing to death!"

"Yeah, freezing, not _starving_."

Hans rolled his eyes and went back to his food.

"What, you gonna cry?"

He glared up and met eyes with Mogens, the one who must've said it. He hadn't cried in seven years. It was just like his brothers not to notice.

"The only time I'll ever cry again is for my people if they ever have to endure you as their king."

It had gotten utterly silent. Nobody even seemed to be breathing. Even the triplets couldn't keep scraping their silver across their plates in the absolute still of it.

Then someone started eating again, and so did everyone else, and only Hans and Mogens glared at each other across the table, both no longer hungry.

After dinner, Hans got the beating he'd been expecting. Mogens was the only one who went that far. He was one of the biggest of the brothers, and he was thirty-one versus Hans' seventeen. It wasn't a competition. And it's not like Hans should feel special. He wasn't the only one who got it. Mogens was just more irritated by him than he was by any of the others.

Because he was too sensitive.

It was probably that day when he realized that someday, he wanted to rule. He couldn't rule here in the Isles, obviously, he was too far back in line. Only other option was to marry into a throne. Not difficult. There were a million Princesses to choose from. He just had to get invited to some big party to meet some.

His chance came when word came that the eldest Princess of Arendelle was now of age and her coronation was coming up. It was ideal because even more people would want to attend this coronation than others, because Arendelle was so mysterious in general. Nobody even knew what the Princesses looked like because they never set foot outside the castle. This meant he'd have many Princesses to choose from. He had to find one that wasn't too irritating, and then he'd have his own kingdom in no time.

So he asked his father if he could have the honor of representing their family at the coronation. He looked a little surprised, since Hans had never asked this before, but said he saw no problem with it.

Jens was irritated because he had wanted to go, but as Hans had asked first, it was only fair that he be able to go, father had decided when Jens went to him angrily.

The day Hans left, Mogens approached him. He grabbed his shoulder tight and spun him around so fast Hans nearly fell over.

"If you make a fool of our family at this coronation, you'll answer to me. Got it?"

Hans rolled his eyes and smirked. It's not that he didn't believe Mogens' threat, it's that he just wasn't afraid of him anymore. Plus, he wasn't as scrawny as he used to be. He could hold his own if the fight went too far.

There was also the fact that Hans didn't intend to ever come back to the Isles. He wanted to meet a Princess, sail straight to her kingdom, and inform father by letter that he'd gotten married. He'd never have to see his family again.

So he let the smirk become a smile. "I look forward to it," he said, poking a finger into the middle of Mogens' chest. He was so caught off-guard by this—the closest Hans had ever come to defending himself—that he let the simple poke push him away, enough that his hand was no longer on Hans and the latter could walk out of the castle.

Hans didn't say goodbye, not even to Aage. He didn't care enough about any of his family for farewells, even considering he might never see them again.

By the time he was a few feet from the castle, his family was already far from his mind.

Years and years he had waited for his chance to find a Princess to marry. Finally, _finally_, he was going to find his own place.

There was always the chance that he wouldn't meet any Princesses that he was able to woo, but he didn't even want to consider that possibility. He'd watched enough of his brothers meaninglessly flirt with random women; he was pretty sure he could do the same.

And then, a very long boat ride with some French men later, he was in Arendelle, and he was riding Sitron near the Fjords just to get a good look at the sea he'd never seen from this angle.

And then he knocked into a young woman, knocking her into a boat and almost making her fall into the water. Sitron was the savior, but Hans acted reflexively, ready to help her up in barely a moment. Believe it or not, he and his brothers were all taught manners. Hans was just the only one that displayed it.

He noticed the moment Sitron hit her that she was beautiful. Actually, very little went through his head other than that fact. Like his mind had gone utterly blank. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen a more beautiful woman before. But not in the regal, unrelatable way that his eldest brother's wife was, or in the haughty way that the women who spent time with the triplets were. She was full of spirit, with hope in her eyes and a smile there even when she wasn't actually smiling. She looked honest, like the type that appreciated simplicity.

In other words, Hans was charmed by her the moment he saw her.

He was just gaping down at her, watching the events happen without him being able to follow, as she threw a piece of seaweed off her face, yelling, "Hey!" indignantly.

"I'm so sorry, are you hurt?" Hans asked.

He tried to understand the dreamy look that came over her face, but it wasn't registering. He'd never been looked at like that.

"Hey. Heh… Ah, yeah, no, no, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" he asked quickly, getting off of Sitron to check that she was all in one piece.

"I just wasn't looking where I was going, but I'm okay. I'm great… actually…" She grinned, and yes, Hans was pretty sure he knew what the look in her eyes meant now, and it was baffling to him. Being the youngest brother, he'd never gotten attention from women like this. This was completely new to him.

"Oh, thank goodness," he said, his hand coming out to help her to her feet. He wanted to mentally slap himself for getting so distracted by a pretty girl when he had a coronation to get to, but he figured that after hitting her with his horse, he really had to make sure she was alright.

As she took his hand, he felt like his guts were all tying into an uncomfortable knot. He could only guess what _that_ feeling meant... Who _was_ this girl, anyway?

He realized he was kind of zoning out, and that he should probably continue with that whole manners thing he'd been trying to display. "Oh. Uh, Prince Hans, of the Southern Isles," he said with a bow.

"Princess Anna of Arendelle."

He blinked for half a moment as he felt totally stupid for not realizing. With a dress like that, of course she was a Princess, but with how she'd been prancing around, and how generally awkward she seemed, it hadn't occurred to him that she was royalty.

Had he accidentally bumped into just the Princess he was looking for?

He figured that after hitting her with the horse though, he might have to put in a little more effort to gain her affections. Because of this, he was maybe a little melodramatic when he said, "Princess? My Lady!"

And he dropped to one knee with an overenthusiastic bow.

And then Sitron, polite as he was, bowed too.

He mentally cursed the horse as he flew forward to try and catch the Princess before she fell into the water. Sitron put his foot back in the boat to catch them and Hans chuckled awkwardly as he held her close, not knowing what to say. "Um…"

"Hi… again," she said uncomfortably.

Then Sitron's foot snapped down and it sent them both flying back, Anna on top of him.

"Oh boy," slipped out of his lips then. This just wasn't going very well at all. At this rate, he'd have to find another Princess.

Which was a shame, because he liked this one.

"This is awkward," she said with a smile, chuckling. "Not you're awkward, but we're—I'm awkward. You're gorgeous. Wait, what?"

Gorgeous? Is that what he'd just been called? He'd have to file that to consider later, because now he had some major apologizing to do if he was going to salvage this meeting.

"I'd like to formally apologize for hitting the Princess of Arendelle with my horse… and every moment after."

"No! No—no. It's fine. I'm not _that_ Princess. I mean, if you'd hit my sister Elsa, that would be—yeesh! 'Cuz, you know..." She came face to face with Sitron. "Hello," she said, scratching under his chin. Absent-minded, wasn't she? He couldn't help but smile as he watched her though. "But, lucky you, it's—it's just me," she continued.

Hans chuckled. "_Just_ you?" he asked, amused and endeared simultaneously. He was so used to royalty that felt entitled because of who they were—even he was that way to a point—but Anna… she just wasn't like that.

What a strange, wonderful girl, he thought, and the two of them just stared at each other, and she smiled, and he had to smile too, and he was really glad she seemed to feel it too, because he was pretty certain no other Princess would have impressed him much after meeting her.

"The bells," she said suddenly. He'd heard them, but he'd been too busy staring to pay much attention. Apparently, so had she. "The coronation. I—I—I better go—I have to—I better go." She was already walking away before she turned, saying, "Bye!" with an awkward wave, running off.

Hans, still baffled and rather entranced, waved dreamily back, just staring at her.

Then, Sitron, again being _so_ polite, waved as well. He was able to get out a quick "Oh no," before he was in the water, the boat over his head. He lifted the boat up with one arm as he spat water from his mouth, scanning to find Anna's retreating figure in the distance. He stared at her from the water until she was out of sight, knowing there was a stupid smile on his face but not being able to stop.

She… she was really something.

He'd come here to find a Princess he could marry, fully expecting to find a vapid woman that he didn't like much and being able to save the kingdom from her idiotic rule.

And somehow he'd found a woman whom he actually could see himself falling for. Maybe he already was.

He climbed from the water and glared at Sitron, who looked sheepish.

But then he stared into the distance again, where Anna had disappeared.

"Gorgeous," he murmured, patting Sitron's side. "Am I gorgeous, boy?"

He almost felt like he could see the horse rolling his eyes. God, if his brothers had heard that whole exchange.

"Obviously she got hit on the head if she likes how _you_ look."

"You're so scrawny! Women like their men big and strong."

"Maybe if your sideburns weren't so… you know, like that."

In fact, those weren't even imagined comments. He'd heard all three before, and much more past that.

But that didn't matter, he told himself. His family was out of the picture now. What mattered was that he had found Anna, and through her, a kingdom.

Well, then again, there was her sister to worry about. It was _her_ coronation, not Anna's.

He'd worry about that later. For now, woo fair lady. One thing at a time.

"Better get changed," Hans said. "Since, you know, you dumped me in the water." Sitron hung his head in shame. "Come on. We don't have much time."

* * *

During the coronation, he stared at Anna as the king of Sweden slept on his shoulder. Wow, he could get used to looking at her. At one point, she even waved.

He considered during this time that maybe he should go after Elsa instead… but when he looked at her, he saw a woman that was utterly closed off, that had no desire to even be in this hall, becoming queen, let alone meet a handsome prince to sweep her off her feet.

Plus, he thought being with Anna could work.

So at the ball that night, he was feeling more confident than he ever had, spending the whole day thinking about how he could impress her. She wasn't the type that would appreciate bragging about slaying dragons like some women.

He considered that maybe, just maybe, he could just be himself. Which made him feel even better about the whole thing. No false pretenses. Just him being himself, and somehow getting a kingdom out of it. A dream come true. So he was looking for Anna when, by some weird kind of fate, she fell right into his arms.

"Glad I caught you," he said with a smile, sweeping her into a dance.

The night was actually kind of perfect. Even when she hit him in the face accidentally—several times—he could help but laugh, because she was just so adorable it was hard not to laugh when you were with her.

He'd never realized he could relate to a person like this.

They walked through every inch of the castle, basically, and mostly she talked and talked and he let her, not really wanting to have to talk about himself.

But eventually she asked, and he was honest, saying he had twelve brothers at home. She got distracted by a squirrel prancing through the area and he was safe from having to say much more.

Well, for the moment.

Later, they'd somehow ended up on a balcony with a krumcake in each of their hands. He ate a small bite, and she laughed pleasantly at him when it got all over his front.

"It's not called a _krum_cake for nothing!" she said as he embarrassedly wiped himself off. "You can't just take bites, you gotta—Yeah, the whole thing! You got it!" They laughed again and before he was even done chewing, she said, "Wait, wait, so you have _how_ many brothers?"

"Twelve older brothers," he said, putting in a lot of effort to keep the mood light. "Three of them pretended I was invisible. Literally. For _two_ _years_."

"That's horrible!"

_Yeah, tell me about it_, he wanted to say, but he figured he should act like he takes it all in better grace than he actually does, so he said, "It's what brothers do."

"And sisters," she replied. "Elsa and I were really close when we were little. But then, one day she just… shut me out, and I never knew why."

Seeing her that sad genuinely upset him, so he reached out with his hand to take hers, and he said, "I would never shut you out."

And it was true. He didn't ever want to. With her he'd finally found his own place. Sure, with the kingdom, but also by her side.

The night continued to go amazingly well, and it seemed far too soon, but when they had found themselves next to a waterfall… he just did it. He asked her to marry him.

And she said yes.

It was baffling, really. They were uttering sweet nothings to each other, the word 'love' coming up a great deal. And sure, he really did like her, but was it possible she was already in love with him?

Technically, it was what he wanted, but it was a bit overwhelming.

Within a few minutes they were on their way to the ballroom to ask Elsa for her blessing.

It didn't go well.

He'd already gotten a bad feeling the moment Anna mentioned inviting his brothers to stay—though he did his best to keep acting as if everything was fine—and it only got worse when he saw the look on Elsa's face. Far before Anna, he realized she wasn't going to bless the marriage. He tried to insert something himself, thinking maybe he could charm her into agreeing, but he knew it was no use.

Hans hadn't had a problem with Elsa until the whole exchange, but now he knew that the only way this was going to work was to get her out of the way. It was regrettable, since it would upset Anna… but then again, Elsa wasn't very kind to her. Maybe she'd be happier in the end.

And then everything went crazy, and Elsa had some sort of magical power, and it was hard for Hans to do much other than follow Anna around as she chased after her sister. Elsa froze the Fjord, and then she was gone.

Well. That meant he didn't have to get rid of her. It was a relief, honestly, because the thought of killing someone wasn't really pleasant to him. Things were just falling into place, like the universe wanted him to have his own kingdom as much as he wanted it.

Then Anna, without even considering another option, decided to go look for her sister.

It was stupid, Hans knew it. He looked out at the weather, getting worse every minute seemingly.

Anna would die out there. It wasn't really a question.

But he couldn't stop her—and he really sincerely tried, mind you. He even offered to go with her, and planned to go whether or not she allowed it. He really did care for her.

But then, right before she left, she did it.

She left him in charge. She told all the people he was in charge. They all heard it.

As she galloped away, he let the situation sink in.

Elsa was gone. Anna had run after her. Anna was going to die from the weather—or Elsa might even kill her, he wouldn't put it past her. And when neither of the sisters came back… there were no heirs. No family, older or younger. The only person with any right at all… would be the one that the Princess herself put in charge.

Arendelle was his.

He really hoped nobody noticed his smile as he started to understand that, because it really wasn't an appropriate time at all to be grinning.

Being whisked into a place of authority was easy for him. Even though he'd never had a chance with his own kingdom, he'd been learning to be a king since he was little. It all came naturally. He helped the people, and they adored him. He'd been told by four separate peasants that they were going to name their next child after him. He did all the things for the people of Arendelle that his brothers would have scoffed, and the people loved him for it.

He wasn't really sure when all the fondness for Anna he had felt turned to ice in his chest.

Maybe at the same time as her own chest turned to ice—just more literally, in her case. But by the time Anna's horse came back with no rider, the idea of Anna being dead was already firm in his mind. He didn't feel much when he saw the horse… except that he needed to find the body. Nobody would believe she was dead until they saw it themselves.

And he needed to find Elsa. She seemed shut off, but that must've just been because she had been afraid of what her powers could do. Now that her secret was out, could Hans charm her into bringing summer back? He couldn't pretend to love her, because she'd seen him trying to marry Anna just a day before, but could he find some other way to gain her trust?

Yes, he could. He knew he could. And then he could dispose of Elsa too. The idea didn't sound so bad to him anymore.

He just loved the people of Arendelle. And he knew that he could rule them better than those naïve girls could.

It was for the people's own good, really.

So he and a party of other men went to find Anna and Elsa. They stumbled upon her castle, and Elsa was ready to kill some of the men of Weselton, and Hans saw it in her eyes when he stopped her. She was no monster. She wasn't so different from Anna, really. She wanted love and acceptance too, she just didn't know it yet.

It was so easy to take her back to Arendelle, to lock her in a cell. Nobody trusted her anymore. He could probably have killed her right then and nobody would have minded, but he needed to get her to fix the winter.

He waited for her to wake up, and the moment he heard movement in the cell, he went in.

"Why did you bring me here?" she demanded.

"I couldn't just let them kill you," he said, and he never knew how easy it was to act sincere. He saw as her eyes softened.

"But I'm a danger to Arendelle. Get Anna!"

"Anna has not returned."

At the look on her face, he knew she would talk if he asked now.

"If you would just stop the winter… bring back summer… please."

She looked at him desperately, and he realized before she said it what the truth was. "Don't you see? I _can't_." She paused, staring at him imploringly. "You have to tell them to let me go," she pleaded.

He wasn't thinking about her anymore. She was of no use now. She was going to have to go. That was the only thing in his head now. But he did vaguely hear the words, and remember to keep his face from betraying his thoughts.

"I will do what I can," he said, striding out of the stall.

Now all that was left was Anna. Elsa could be sentenced to death easily after all she'd done, but Anna? She hadn't done anything wrong. Probably she was dead, but if she wasn't? What would he do then? He had no qualms about killing Elsa, but he was still fond of Anna.

He told the men he was going to go looking for her again…

And then there she was. Something was wrong. Her hair was turning white and she looked tired and weak.

He was surprised at how little he felt when he saw her.

Just a day ago, he had been so smitten with her.

Now she just looked like another obstacle in his way. Arendelle was his. The people _needed_ him, they'd said it a dozen times.

And Anna was dying. Good. Now he didn't have to do it himself.

It was utterly perfect. Yes, the universe wanted this, because not only was Anna dying, but it was Elsa's fault. Anna would die, and Elsa would take the blame for it, and she could be killed too.

He felt nothing as he confessed to Anna that he never really loved her. At the completely hurt look on her face, like he was only killing her faster.

He couldn't help but laugh as he looked back on the whole thing as he told her about it. Had he ever felt anything for her at all? He wasn't sure anymore. If he had, it was silly infatuation, but nothing like love. What did love ever do for Hans? Nothing at all. All that mattered now as keeping the throne. And now there was nothing in his way.

Admittedly, Elsa escaping before he could execute her was an issue. He had to run after her, but eventually he found her, even in the blizzard she was creating.

"Elsa. You can't run from this!"

Mostly because he didn't want to have to go after her again. It would be a real pain. Plus, he had to figure out how to stop this winter.

"... Just take care of my sister."

He was ready for that one the moment she said it, like maybe he'd been expecting it. If she couldn't stop the winter, maybe if he upset her enough, it would stop itself. "Your sister? She returned from the mountain weak and cold. She said you froze her heart."

"W—No!" she breathed.

"I tried to save her, but it was too late. Her skin was ice. Her hair turned white." He saw in her eyes that she knew what he was about to say before he said it, but he continued, just to see the look on her face. "Your sister is dead... because of you."

And she staggered in grief, and fell to the ground… and all the snow stopped. Was it working? No, the ice didn't melt, but at least the wind stilled. Actually, it stilled completely, little crystals of snow hanging in midair. It was completely silent as she wept on the ice, and then all he could hear was blood roaring in his ears as adrenaline surged through him.

It was time. Elsa wasn't of any use anymore. He took out his sword, and what had happened to death repulsing him? Or even being regrettable? Now, he felt his lips pulling into a grin at the thought of spilling Elsa's blood. He'd be a hero! The people loved him, and they would love him more no matter what he did!

Everything happened too quickly for him to follow. His sword was going down, and then there was a shrill cry.

"_NO_!"

Anna?

That was Anna. Was he going crazy? Because she was dead. He didn't have much time to register that, however, before everything went black.

* * *

When he blearily opened his eyes, the snow was gone. It was hard to know how long he had been out, but there were Anna, and Elsa… and there was a blond man and a reindeer and a talking snowman, but his head hurt too much to even think about any of that.

So his eyes clapped onto Anna as he stood, ignoring the angry, massive blond man and all the rest, deciding that the mystery of how Anna could be alive would be easiest to solve.

"Anna?" he asked. "But she froze your heart," he said ineloquently, still not feeling well from hitting his head.

Anna's face wasn't heartbroken in that satisfying way like the last time he saw her. She held her head high, with a confidence he never noticed in her.

She'd changed in the past few days. He didn't know how, but she was different now.

"The only frozen heart around here is yours," she said coolly, and Hans had very little time to comprehend that before he was getting hit surprisingly hard in the nose and he fell overboard.

Nobody helped him from the water. When he got out, he saw some of the subjects watching, and they glared. One who had just claimed to name her next son after him the day before was now looking at him murderously. Nobody moved, they just looked at him like he was the most disgusting thing they had ever seen.

He was arrested a moment later, and thrown in a cell near the one Elsa had destroyed.

No. This couldn't be happening! He'd been good for the kingdom! They'd all loved him! They couldn't just turn on him now! Elsa basically froze the whole world and they forgave her just because she fixed it. It wasn't fair!

An immeasurable amount of time later—at least a day, but no more than two or three—he was taken away and thrown onto the very ship he'd arrived in—he'd come with a French dignitary—into the brig.

Nobody would speak to him, but he did hear one thing.

"We shall see what his twelve big brothers think of his behavior."

Oh no. He'd utterly forgotten about his brothers. He never thought he was going to see them again, after all.

Mogens' face flashed into his mind.

_If you make a fool of our family at this coronation, you'll answer to me. Got it?_

Oh, no no no no no.

The dignitary, Sebastian, was walking by.

"Please, don't take me back there," Hans pleaded through the bars. "Take me anywhere else, I don't care."

Sebastian smirked cruelly. "What, you don't think your brothers will appreciate the stunt you pulled?" Hans just kept looking at him pleadingly, and Sebastian shook his head. "You should have thought about _that_ earlier."

Hans gulped loudly as he sat down, thinking about the reception he'd get when he returned.

And he'd thought his brothers hated him _before_…

* * *

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